


it's a small world (i guess)

by QuestLamp



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Eda is a librarian, Gen, Gus plays trumpet and trombone, Hooty is a human?, Luz is a band kid, Luz plays percussion, Protective Eda Clawthorne, Willow plays clarinet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27703258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuestLamp/pseuds/QuestLamp
Summary: Luz moves to a small town and volunteers at the library and does small town things.
Relationships: Amity Blight & Luz Noceda & Willow Park, Amity Blight & Luz Noceda & Willow Park & Gus Porter, Camila Noceda & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Hooty & King & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda, Luz Noceda & Willow Park & Gus Porter
Comments: 5
Kudos: 48





	1. Moving Misfit

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic, so it’s probably not going to be the greatest thing you’ve ever read, or it is, I can’t say what your conditions are. I’m currently writing this over lunch breaks, homework breaks, and during 2am energy bursts, so I can’t say my writing quality will be consistent. Anyways, I based this fic off of the cities I’ve been in all my life (the geography here is weird so I’m not gonna go further than saying that they’re really close together so it’s like there’s 3 cities smushed into one) and also some experiences I’ve had. The first chapter is basically setting up the plot, and overall the story isn’t gonna be very close to canon. This intro’s really long so I’m just gonna stop writing now. Enjoy!
> 
> Song for this chapter: Once Upon Another Time by Sara Bareilles

_**“Just yellow lines and tire marks** _   
_**Sun-kissed skin and handlebars** _   
_**And where I stood was where I was** _   
_**to be”** _

“I still don’t understand why we had to move in the middle of the year,” Luz said, her head leaning against the passenger side window of her mom’s car, “couldn’t we have just waited until the end of the year? I would’ve had to go to a different school anyways.”  
In all truth, Luz couldn’t wait to leave that school. She didn’t have any friends, in fact, literally everyone hated her there, even the teachers. It was stupid, anyways. Seriously, who names a town Hummusburg? Nobody in the town even liked hummus anyways (except Luz, but she didn’t dare tell anyone that).  
“I’m sorry, cariño, but I had to take this job,” her mother, Camila, said, “It has good pay and it’s closer to your new school!” Oh yeah. Her new school. The one that’s replacing her last school that she may or may not have gotten kicked out of. Great.  
“Also, did you have to put me in such a small school? Everyone’s gonna know me in two seconds!”  
“Yes! That’s the whole point, so as long as you make a a good first impression, you should be fine! It’s a good school with great teachers! Plus, I heard they have a great band and art program!” Luz looked down at her drumsticks in her hand. She really did love band. She loved the way the band worked together with their many instruments to weave together a piece of music from seemingly bland parts. She also loved the way she didn’t have to think about anything else while she played her part, only the rhythm of the snare drum (she didn’t really mind the bells, but no good snare would ever admit that).  
She also really loves art class, but not as much as band. Art was her way to let her creativity run free, but art teachers had always seemed to stifle that spark.  
“Sure, I guess,” Luz said, “but what about right now? Winter break isn’t even over, and you’re already starting work. What am I supposed to do home alone-”  
“You are going to the library,” her mom cut in, “It’s right across the street from our house, I have a friend at the library who said she’d give you volunteering hours, plus you might meet some new friends!”  
Luz gave a small smile. She really did love libraries, plus the library seemed like the kind of place mean kids would avoid. There was one problem, though. “I’m only in eighth grade! Don’t they only give volunteer hours to high schoolers?”  
“Yes, mija, but you should volunteer anyways! They only give out one volunteer spot to high schoolers, and this could give you a leg up!”  
“Ok, fine.”

* * *

After the silent remainder of the hour-long drive, they finally arrived at their new house in Isles at around 5:30, and since it was the middle of winter it was already dark. From what Luz could make out, it was a nice house, but the first thing that caught Luz’s eye was the neighbor’s house. It was relatively tall and it seemed well lived in, proven by the warm lights coming from the inside. It was the kind of house that reminded Luz of her fantasy books, the kind of house she could only dream of living in. This was a stark comparison to the house Luz would be living in, which seemed cold and empty, especially in the cold night. Luz sighed and walked inside. Camila had hired movers to move their things earlier in the day, so all of her stuff was already in what she guessed was her room. The house had two bedrooms and one bathroom with a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and a basement. It was nothing special, but Luz liked it. She walked into her room to see that her bed frame was already set up, but her mattress was propped up against the wall. She grumbled something about wanting a nap before wrestling the mattress onto the frame and flopping on top of it. She was just about to doze off when her mother walked into the room. “Luz, were you about to take a nap on a bare mattress?”  
Luz looked up to see her mom in the doorway holding some sheets with a smirk. “I was tired!” Luz complained, followed by a mumbled “I also didn’t know where the sheets were.”  
“Uh huh,” Camila said, setting the sheets on Luz’s bed, “Well before you nap, make your bed and unpack some stuff.”  
Luz looked around her room and sighed. She had never moved before, and unpacking even just a little seemed like a daunting task after an exhausting day of packing up the rest of her stuff and driving. The rest of her stuff! Luz ran out to the car and grabbed her suitcase and stacked her small box of the last of her stuff on top. She also grabbed her backpack and put it on, and pulled her suitcase and box behind her into her house and into her room. She looked around her room and decided that things were not arranged the way she wanted them to, so she spent the next 15 minutes rearranging them the way she wanted before she unpacked and made them harder to move. After about ten minutes of unpacking, her room finally looked okay to nap in, but as soon as she sat on her bed she heard, “Luz! Dinner’s ready!” She sniffed the air and realized that something smelled REALLY good. “We’ve only been here ½ an hour! How did you make this so quickly?” She walked into the dining room and realized that there were takeout bags on the table. “Oh, where did you order from?”  
“Oh, there’s a Mexican restaurant nearby that I heard was really good, so that’s where I went.”  
“Ah. What did you order?”  
“Ummm…” Camila tapped her chin, “Seafood quesadilla and carne asada.”  
“Ooo!” Luz’s stomach growled at the thought of carne asada and she realized she’d barely eaten anything today. “Carne asada!” As she sat down to eat, Camila sat down across from her and started speaking. “So, about my work schedule…”  
“Yeah?”  
“Well, it’s a lot of long hours, so I might not be home to say goodnight sometimes, and I might sleep a lot during the day.”  
“...Oh.”  
There was a long pause in the conversation while Luz thoughtfully chewed. “So am I gonna have to stay somewhere else sometimes?”  
“Yes, and I’ve already made arrangements. You know my librarian friend?”  
“Yeah?”  
“She’s also the neighbor.”  
Luz nearly spat out her food. “The neighbor? The one with the house?”  
“Uhm, Luz, generally neighbors have houses.”  
“Oh! Yeah, um, the one with the tall house that looks really warm inside that I’ve only imagined seeing in books?”  
“Yes! Why does it seem so special to you?”  
‘I’m not sure. I just kinda feel… drawn to it?”

* * *

As soon as Luz woke up the next day she knew what she wanted to do.  
“Morning, mom!”  
“¡Buenos dias, cariño! ¿Dormiste bien?”  
“I slept okay. It’s kinda weird sleeping in a different house.”  
Camila raised an eyebrow as she looked Luz up and down. “Yes, I can see that.”  
She really could see that. Luz’s hair was a mess, her pajamas were more wrinkly than usual, and her eyes were still half-closed. “Breakfast is on the table, and you’re going to the library at 9:00.”  
“Today?”  
“Yes. Your set of keys is by the door when you leave. I’m gonna get dressed for work.”  
Luz grinned and ate her toast at light speed before running back to her room to get ready for a day at the library.


	2. Luz in the Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz meets the librarian and her furry friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha there’s a pun in the chapter title so extra points if you get it!  
> Also it took me three days of procrastination and daydreaming to actually start this chapter so here you go lol.
> 
> Song for this chapter: The Graduate by Arcadian Wild

**_“We could cling to comfort,_ **

**_content to run in place,_ **

**_frozen ‘cause we fear the cost_ **

**_But how could we expect to find where we ought to go,_ **

**_unless we get a little lost?”_ **

Luz didn’t know what she was expecting when she got to the library, but this definitely wasn’t it. It wasn’t super boring looking like some libraries, but she wouldn’t call it extravagant. “It’s modest,” she said to herself, “That’s the word I’m looking for. Modest.” 

The library was surprisingly tall for having only one floor, and Luz didn’t see why until she was inside. It was very open inside, with high ceilings and skylights. It was surprisingly cozy, with eight cozy looking chairs sitting around two small square coffee tables in the center of the main area. There seemed to be separate wings for children, young adults, and adults, and the main area had a large fireplace with two study rooms on each side.

“Hi! You must be Luz!”

Luz turned around to see a tall white lady in a red dress with long grey hair grinning behind her. She had a gold fang, which Luz felt concerned about, but she decided not to work about it. “Oh, um, hi?”

The lady looked a bit confused, then seemed to realize something. She smiled. “Did- did your mom not tell you about me?”

“Well, she told me she’s friends with the librarian, but she didn’t tell me a name.”

“I see. Well, I’m Eda, and welcome to the Bonesborough Library! Let me give you a tour!” Luz waited a bit before following the librarian, still taking everything in. She smiled. _I think I’ll like it here,_ she thought to herself, and followed Eda.

* * *

After an extensive tour, Luz wondered how one person could keep such a large library so clean. Eda didn’t seem like a very organized person, and she was the only one working here. However, Luz also observed that all of the books seemed to be in the right place, and there weren’t many books laying around, even in the workroom. Luz found her answer to her question as they walked into the final room. “Welcome to the staff lounge!” There were lopsided piles of cardboard boxes lining onee wall, with stray books sitting on top and on boxes that were poking out of the bottom, and also a coat (which she guessed was Eda’s) on top. There was a table in the middle that also had a couple small piles of books on it, and a counter in the back which also had a few books on it. There was also a small kitchen with a microwave, a magnet-covered refrigerator, and an oven, and on top of the fridge was a dark furry thing. As Luz looked closer, the thing’s head poked up and staring back at her was a cat with yellow eyes. It had mostly long dark grey fur, except for its head, where it had white fur that looked like a skull. Eda stopped rambling about the room (which was apparently called the staff lounge) and looked over to see Luz and the cat studying each other. “Ah, I see you’ve met King.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess I have.”

All of a sudden, King took a flying leap to land on top of Eda’s head. Luz stared at both Eda and King in shock. Eda just laughed and reached up to pat King’s head. “I guess I should also mention that he’s an acrobat.” Luz snapped out of her stupor and giggled. “You’re allowed to have a cat here?”

“Oh yeah, definitely! This goober’s been here since I’ve been here, which is basically forever.” King decided he was bored of Eda’s head and leapt down onto Luz’s shoulder to sniff her face. She giggled. “Hey buddy.”

“King goes basically everywhere with me, even the store sometimes.”

“How-”

“He hides in my bag.”

“Oh.”

“Yup. He comes home with me every night and comes here with me every morning.”

King leapt down from Luz’s shoulder, walked over to a food bowl, and meowed very loudly. Eda sighed.

“He also has not eaten today because he decided he wanted to stay here,” she grumbled as she opened a cabinet in the kitchen and pulled out a bag of cat food.

* * *

This is just about what I think King looks like. (link to the picrew in the notes)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picrewの「Tau's Cat Creator」でつくったよ！ https://picrew.me/share?cd=OEk8oJkUSt #Picrew #Taus_Cat_Creator
> 
> Man, it’s been a busy week! I almost didn’t finish but I had a chunk of free time all of a sudden, so I decided to work on this.
> 
> Update! I decided that I’m going to aim to update this fic every Tuesday if I can! However, I may post a day or two late sometimes because life and school and procrastination happen and I can’t always work on this. Keep an eye out, though!
> 
> Hey! My name is Quest and I’ve been reading fics here on AO3 for a few months, and I finally got my invitation to create an account and I’m really excited to start creating things and sharing them with you all! I post updates on my writing account on Twitter (@quest_writing)! Constructive criticism is appreciated!


	3. Scoping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Eda tries to figure out the new kid working at the library.
> 
> OR
> 
> Luz makes a friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song quote is longer than usual because there’s just so much in the song that fits! (“Ready Now” by Dodie) Otherwise, sorry this chapter is late (explanation in the end notes), but enjoy!

**_“I was hurting, and you knew,_ **

**_So you showed me what to do._ **

**_You said, ‘I will listen, tell it all,_ **

**_When you're finished, we'll talk more’_ **

**_But I didn't know how, so we took it in turns_ **

**_And to my surprise_ **

**_We found my words”_ **

_Eda’s POV:_

Edalyn Clawthorne wasn’t quite sure if she liked Camila’s kid. She was kinda nosy and asked _so many questions._ Sure, Eda had worked with kids before. It was part of the job; helping kids find books, organizing activities to keep them occupied during the summers, stuff like that. However, she had never _worked_ with a kid before, much less a weirdo teenager. At least she had an idea of what Luz was like from the numerous phone calls she’d had from Camila. She talked so positively about her daughter, and Eda’s ears only perked up when Camila mentioned how Luz had gotten kicked out of her school, and she quickly agreed to take the teen out of Camila’s hands for the rest of winter break.

As Eda observed Luz throughout the day, she decided that the kid was bearable, however nosy she was. Somehow, she was able to deal with cranky kids _and_ their cranky parents, which was impressive, especially since King had taken a liking to her and was sitting around her shoulders half the time. She also had an… _eccentric…_ way of setting out featured books. Eda sighed. As much as she didn’t think she needed it, she liked having help. Plus, she got more time to kick back and relax her tired old self behind the checkout desk. Maybe having someone else around wouldn’t be so bad.

_Luz’s POV:_

Luz Noceda wasn’t really one to be able to sit in one place for a long time. This had always caused her trouble in school, and she couldn’t even count the number of times teachers had told her to sit still and focus. So, among other reasons, she was glad to work in the library. She got to switch things up every so often and do something else, especially if she got things done quickly and right away. The only part that she didn’t like was meeting new people, especially adults. For some reason, she felt like they could see right into her soul and see that she was new and _maybe_ didn’t belong here. Despite this, she always plastered on a smile and a nice-sounding “How can I help you?” whenever anyone approached her with a question. It was always a younger kid or an adult, so she was pleasantly surprised when she heard two teenage voices coming from the young adult section. The pleasant part ended when she heard what was happening.

“You seriously picked that book for your book report? How pathetic!”

 _Thunk._ Luz flinched and peeked through the bookcase. A short, dark haired girl sat in a beanbag looking small, a mint-green haired girl looking down at her. A book with an apple on the cover was sitting on a table near them. Luz hoped that the book was what made the thunking sound.

“Only _losers_ write book reports on dystopian novels.”

“Amity-”

“Good luck, Willow,” the green haired girl said, sarcasm dripping from her tone. She walked away as the other girl sank ever lower in the bean bag chair. Luz caught eye contact with the green haired girl, Amity, she remembered, as she passed Luz and she saw a look of guilt and panic in her eyes. Luz frowned as Amity quickly started walking away faster. _That was strange,_ Luz thought as she watched Eda scan her books while Amity looked like she wanted to sprint out of the arched doors of the library. Luz looked back and noticed that the other girl, Willow, still sitting in the bean bag chair with a dejected look on her face. Luz knocked softly on a bookcase to let the girl know she was there before approaching. “Hi.” Willow looked up and sniffed. “Oh! Hi? I’ve never seen you around before.” 

“I moved here yesterday! Mom got a new job and I got expelled so it was the perfect time to move.”

“Oh! Well, uh, welcome to Bonesborough, and, uh, happy expulsion I guess?”

“Thanks? Anyways, I heard what happened just now. What’s her deal?”

“She just went to Catholic School before she was at my school. Those kids are just plain mean.”

“Ah, I see. What are you doing a book report on?”

“We’re supposed to pick a book and write a summary and also an essay about how the society and culture in book is similar to our own culture and society”

“Hm. What book are you doing it on?”

“I want to do mine on _The Giver,_ but the teacher wants us to do our book reports on fantasy, realistic fiction, or historical fiction, none of which I’m not interested in very much.”

Luz grinned as soon as Willow said _fantasy._ “I could help you!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I’ll be free in a couple hours, so I could totally help!”

“Great! Also, I realized I never got your name!”

“Luz Noceda!”

“Willow Park! Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too!”

_Eda’s POV:_

Eda had to admit, she had never been much of an upstander, and she never really knew how to stand up for others, and she was even worse at comforting others. She never tried to make anyone feel better; in fact, she seemed to always be the one doing the harm. In other words, she wasn't surprised when the girl who had been using a bad tone with the other girl was hurrying away. When she looked over at where the girls had been, she saw Luz talking to the other girl, and they were both smiling. Eda realized she had been staring for a bit when Luz started to walk over with a smile on her face. “Hey kiddo,” she said with a small smile. “What’s up?” 

“My friend and I were wondering if we could meet after my shift to work on something, and I figured that I should ask you since I’m staying with you tonight.”

 _Oh? She’s staying with me? That’s a curveball._ “Staying with me?”

“Yeah? My mom said that she talked to you and made arrangements?”

Right. The arrangements. “Ohhh, I remember now. Well in that case, sure. Feel free to use the meeting room.” She paused to think for a second. “Actually, I’ll let you finish early. Go help your friend, and don’t forget we close at 5 o’clock.” 

“Really? Thanks, Miss Clawthorne!” 

“And for goodness sake, just call me Eda!” she called after them.

“Got it, Miss Eda!” Luz called back.

Eda sighed with a smile. Luz had a lot to learn, but she was so good at being… well, good. Perhaps she could learn a thing or two from the kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I refuse to believe that Willow doesn’t read dystopian novels. I can’t explain it, but it might just be me projecting onto her. Also, you can interpret Amity’s panic any way you want to. *winks*
> 
> One more thing. Catholic school kids where I’m from really are jerks, so I feel like that’s a good place to start, drumroll please, a backstory. *audible gasp*
> 
> Apologies! School got really hectic so it took me a while to get this ready to publish. I will be posting more often over winter break, so keep an eye out!
> 
> I made a playlist for this fic! It includes songs I’ve already featured and songs that I’m either planning on featuring or just fit the vibe! Here’s the link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ulvKKk65W4nvqjVoQ366Y


	4. Book Report: Good Witch Azura Edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz helps Willow with her book report and they make plans, and Luz goes home with Eda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shuts down all tabs except docs and spotify* let’s do this. *proceeds to open phone to scroll social media for ½ an hour* *has a very sudden idea to start the fic* *forgets the idea as this note is written* *remembers and finally gets writing* *googles how to stay focused enough to write a full sentence*
> 
> I just realized that the last chapter didn’t have the song quote so I fixed it! You can go check it out if you want to but it’s not super important.
> 
> I think Willow could get into a new genre if she has enough encouragement, so I think that’s gonna be a thing, but not too much.
> 
> Aaannnyyywwwaaayyysss I have no clue where this chapter’s gonna go as I write this so see you on the other side I guess lol
> 
> Also pspspspspsps Willuz shippers come and get your juice (so far it’s just platonic but Willuz shippers are great so I’ll give them something nice)
> 
> Song for this chapter is The Eye by Brandi Carlile. I couldn’t find a song that truly fit this chapter, but I felt like this specific set of lyrics fit somehow, plus it’s a beautiful song that you should definitely listen to sometime. Who knows? Maybe this song will make a reappearance!

**_“I am a sturdy soul, and there ain't no shame_ **

**_In lying down in the bed you made._ **

**_Can you fight the urge to run for another day?_ **

**_You might make it further if you learn to stay.”_ **

Luz wasn’t the type of person to willingly do schoolwork, but helping to write a book report on one of her interests sounded strangely enticing. She could write for hours about how  _ The Good Witch Azura _ reflected the society around her (and also her personal life, but she wouldn’t get into that since this was Willow’s essay). “I have made the split-second executive decision to make you read  _ The Good Witch Azura _ ,” she proclaimed as they sat down.”

“Um… why?”

“Because it’s the best book ever! You only need to read the first book, and if you like it you can read the rest.”

“Oh, okay.”

“So, what’s the deal with that other girl? She seemed really mean.”

“I don’t know. Ever since she went to Catholic school, she’s just been mean.”

“Ever since?”

“Oh. Yeah. I went to elementary school with her, and she was my best friend. Then, I started falling behind, and she said we couldn’t be friends anymore. All of a sudden, she’s in Catholic school and she has all of these new friends and I have none. Catholic school only goes up to sixth grade, so she and her friends came back for middle school.”

“I see.”

There was a pause of awkward silence, and in that moment Luz made a mental note to do something about Willow and Amity’s relationship. She didn’t quite know what yet, but she had to do  _ something. _

After about five minutes of silence, Willow spoke. “Why did you get, you know…”

“Expelled?”

“Yeah.”

Luz sighed and mumbled, “I got fed up with a few bullies. Maybe punched them a few too many times. You know, the usual stuff that you get expelled for.”

“Ah.”

“So what do you do for fun around here? There doesn’t seem to be much.”

“Yeah. I go for lunch with my friend Augustus a lot, or we hang out here. There’s also a comic book store down the street. Most of the time, though, I stay home and do homework or practice my clarinet or take care of my plants. There’s a lot of them, so they require a lot of time and TLC.”

“A comic book store!”

“You caught none of what I just said, did you?”

“Can we go to the comic book store sometime?”

“Fine.”

“Yay!”

* * *

The rest of their work time was mostly silent besides Willow asking Luz questions she read the book Luz had given her and Luz read a different one in the series. Pretty soon, Luz’s alarm for 5:00 rang and she sprang up. “We gotta go!”

“See you at school?”

“Yeah! Hey, didn’t you say you played clarinet?”

“So you were listening! Yes, I do play clarinet. Why?”

“I play percussion!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I usually get put on snare, but I actually prefer the bells.”

“I see.”

The conversation continued as they walked into the main part of the library. Luz stopped in the doorway as she realized something. “There’s still a week left before school starts. What if we meet tomorrow?”

Willow paused to think for a second. “Yeah, that could work. How about I meet you here and we could go to lunch together! We can even do a small tour if we have time.”

“Ooo, that sounds fun! It’s a plan!”

Luz grinned as she and Willow walked out of the meeting room. It had been a really long time since she’d made a friend, and she was excited for her tour tomorrow.

_ Eda’s POV: _

Eda had no clue why Luz was walking toward her, Willow following close behind. Book reports were boring, so why is she smiling so big? “Alright kid, I have never seen a teenager smile so big after writing a book report. What happened?”

“Willow and I made plans,” Luz said nonchalantly, a grin still plastered on her face. “By the way, how long do I have for lunch tomorrow?”

Eda leaned back in her chair to look at the calendar to see that tomorrow was Saturday. Parents would have the day off of work, which meant that they would probably stay home with their kids. There weren’t any events tomorrow anyways, so it shouldn’t be very busy. “Mmm, maybe an hour and a half.”

“Awesome! Willow and I are gonna get lunch and take a tour of the town.”

Eda raised an eyebrow at the two of them, but Luz didn’t seem to notice, as she had already walked away toward the staff lounge with Willow, both chattering excitedly about who knows what. She grunted as she stood from her chair and followed them.

_ Luz’s POV: _

After a lot of talking and several hugs, Luz and Willow finally split ways in the parking lot. Willow got in the back seat of her dad’s car and Eda leaned into the passenger seat window to talk to whoever was driving. After a minute or two, Willow and her dad drove off and Luz and Eda (and King, in Luz’s backpack) were left standing on the curb. Eda turned to Luz, grinning. “Are you ready to see the Owl House?”

“The  _ what _ ?”

* * *

As they approached the librarian’s house, Luz still didn’t see why anyone would call it the Owl House. It seemed just like any other house, just a little more run-down. Eda stopped her right before they got to the porch. “Just a heads up,”

“Yeah?”

“I have a roommate. He’s nice, but he’s pretty loud and obnoxious. Actually, I think you can handle him. You  _ are  _ a drummer, after all, right?”

Luz smirked. “You only know that because my mom told you!”

Eda smirked back and ruffled Luz’s hair. “Yeah, yeah, now let’s get inside. It’s freezing out here!”

As Luz walked into the house, she got why the Owl House had its name. There were owls  _ everywhere.  _ Owl portraits, owl statues, and there was even an owl tattoo on Eda’s ankle that she hadn’t noticed before. There was also an owl right in front of Luz’s face, and when Luz looked up, she realized that this was not an owl in front of her, but a person. A very, very tall person, 7 feet tall, at least. He was wearing khaki pants and a tan turtleneck with owls on it. Eda looked over and chuckled. “I see you’ve already met each other! Luz, this is my roommate, Howard, but everyone calls him Hooty. Hooty, this is Luz! She’ll be staying with us sometimes.”

Hooty stuck out his hand with a large grin. “Nice to meet you, Luz!”

Luz successfully fought the urge to yelp at how unexpectedly high pitched his voice was and shook his hand, managing to squeak out a small “Nice to meet you, too.”

Eda raised her eyebrow at Luz, her arms crossed, and continued. “Hooty doesn’t exactly have a job, he just lives here. Actually, I think this place would have collapsed years ago if it weren’t for him. He does all of the upkeep.”

As Eda finished talking, Hooty grinned and abruptly spun on his heel to walk away. Eda turned to face Luz. “Well, I guess I’ll be showing you to your room, then.” 

She led Luz up an extensive flight of stairs lined with pictures and portraits and into a hallway, opening a door on the right. “This is the guest room where you’ll be staying,” she said. Luz raised an eyebrow at the things covering the bed.  _ Did Eda forget I’d be staying here? _ Eda grinned . “Um, you might have to move some stuff, but otherwise make yourself at home! I’ll come get you when dinner’s ready.” Eda grinned and shut the door, leaving Luz alone in the room. King jumped on top of the bed and sat. Well, almost alone. Luz moved the stuff on the bed and put her stuff down. A layer of dust puffed up as she sat down on top of the comforter and she sighed. Despite only being here for about ten minutes, this creaky old house somehow already felt more like her home than her own house. After a bit of just sitting, Luz got bored and decided to go downstairs, King following at her heel. She found Eda sitting on the couch knitting something large while Hooty was nowhere to be found. Eda looked up as Luz reached the end of the staircase. “Dinner’s on the stove. Help yourself,” she said, going back to her knitting. Luz looked over at the stove and saw two large pots on the stove. She went over and sniffed at a pot of clear liquid. “Ms. Eda?”

Eda craned her neck over to see what Luz was doing. “What’s up, kid?”

“Why does this soup smell like flowers?”

“THAT’S NOT SOUP THAT’S WAX!”

“Oh!” Luz looked into the other pot that did not smell like flowers and saw a chicken soup. She took a bowl of soup and sat at the table, facing Eda. She took a bite and swallowed. “So, whatcha makin’?”

“I am making candles, ointments, and a cape.”

Luz remembered noticing a small pot behind the larger pots that had bubbling stuffin it. “What for? That’s a lot of wax and you obviously have enough candles and lotion for ten people.” Luz gestured around the room at the various candles and bottles covering several counters and chairs. “Also, why do you need a cape?” A light bulb lit up in Luz’s head. “Are you doing a cosplay?!”

Eda chuckled. “No, I am not doing a cosplay, although cosplayers are one of the few groups of people I can respect.” She gave Luz a knowing smile. “I’m preparing things for my Etsy and the Farmer’s Market, which starts in March. If I don’t start prepping things now, I won’t have enough to sell. Librarians don’t earn a ton of money, you know.”

“I see,” Luz said as she finished the last of her soup. “Well, I’m pretty tired, so I’m gonna go to bed. Goodnight, Ms. Eda!”

“For titan’s sake, kid, just call me Eda!”

“Goodnight, Eda!”

Luz trudged up the stairs, King quickly rushing to her side. “You really like me, huh, buddy?” Luz said, smiling at the large cat. King let out a loud meow in response. Luz continued on to her room, changed into her pajamas, and climbed into bed, King curling up next to her. Luz turned off the light and gave a happy sigh. “Goodnight, King.” Luz fell asleep smiling with King curled into her, purring. Today couldn’t have gone better, and she was so ready for tomorrow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue where I got the idea for Human Hooty from, but it was surprisingly difficult to figure out what he would look like. I used a picrew to get him pretty close to what he looks like: https://picrew.me/image_maker/415524/complete?cd=ejM6inEAfs
> 
> Writer’s block hit HARD this week… but luckily I had candy canes to get through it! Happy New Year, everyone!
> 
> I might start featuring comments! These comments can be from here or from my Twitter. Twitter comments can either be on a tweet or in my dms! Comment features will probably have a written reaction and also a reply to the actual comment.
> 
> As far as I know, nobody’s done fanart, which I’m not surprised by because this isn’t by any means a popular fic. HOWEVER, if someone does end up doing fanart I will positively scream! Having fanart done of your own fic is a huge honor, I think.
> 
> I made a playlist for this fic! It includes songs I’ve already featured and songs that I’m either planning on featuring or just fit the vibe! Here’s the link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ulvKKk65W4nvqjVoQ366Y
> 
> Hey! My name is Quest and I’ve been reading fics here on AO3 for a few months, and I finally got my invitation to create an account and I’m really excited to start creating things and sharing them with you all! I post updates on my writing account on Twitter (@quest_writing)! Constructive criticism is appreciated!


	5. Late Morning Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz's first morning in the Owl House!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a while! Life came up and there were some things that I was stressed about, so I didn’t have the time or energy to write for a while. Then I had an idea for a future fanfic that I got excited about (I’m releasing it after I’m done with this fic) and now we’re here! There’s probably not going to be another chapter for a month or so because it’s Girl Scout cookie selling season, which is very busy for me! Thank you so much for your support!
> 
> I was going to write more for this chapter but I decided to just make it a one shot. Enjoy!
> 
> Song for this chapter: Late Morning Lullaby by Brandi Carlile

**_“_ ** **_As soon as my eyes shut the slide show begins_ **

**_Yesterday is gone now and panic sets in_ **

**_With a weight upon my chest_ **

**_And a ghost upon my back_ **

**_And the numbing sensation of everything_ **

**_I lack that leaves me_ **

**_Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming_ **

**_Your real world away”_ **

_Hoot..._

_Hoot._

_Hoot!_

_HOOT!_

Luz woke up. The bed might have been dusty, but she was so comfortable that she didn’t dream. So where did the hooting come from? She saw a tall figure in the doorframe and a small, fluffy weight in her lap, with another one at her side, which must have been King. She sat up to investigate and saw Hooty in the doorway and a random small, brown owl in her lap. “Uh, Hooty, what’s this owl doing here?”

Hooty gave a wide grin. “GOOD MOOOOORNING LUZ!!” The owl hooted in alarm and flew to Luz’s shoulder. _Ouch, owl talons are painful._ Luz awkwardly took the owl from her shoulder, which felt more painful than it looked, and put it back in her lap with an annoyed yet slightly amused look. “Hooty! You didn’t answer my question!”

Hooty continued grinning, barely blinking. “Eda wants you to come downstairs! She says she needs to set some guidelines with you!”

Luz groaned and got out of bed, almost falling as she rubbed her eyes. _Did I do something wrong? Usually when someone wants to “set guidelines” it’s usually because I did something wrong and they want to tell me not to do it again._ “Alright. Let her know that I’ll be downstairs soon,” she mumbled, shooing away Hooty. Hooty let King follow him out the door as he left. She looked over at her clothes from yesterday and realized that she didn’t pack anything else to wear. As she finished putting on her cat hoodie, she saw her phone peeking out of her backpack. _Oh shoot, I haven’t checked it since yesterday!_ She frantically checked her phone and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she only had a message from her mom.

_Mami - 2:34 am_

**Goodnight, mija! I love and miss you so much!**

Luz smiled and messaged back. 

_Luz - 8:27 am_

**Love you too, Mom! <3**

**See you tonight?**

She waited a moment for her mom to message back before realizing she was probably asleep. She sighed and put her phone in her pocket before grabbing her backpack and heading downstairs.

\-------------

_Eda’s POV:_

Eda had always hated rules, but she knew she had to lay down some groundwork for Luz. After all, Luz was a teenager, worse, a teenager with a record. She chuckled to herself as she sat in her chair at the dining table with a mug of apple blood. Of all people, Eda should be the least concerned about managing a troublesome kid. She was startled out of her thoughts by King jumping up into her lap and putting his front paws on the table expectantly. Eda smirked and put him back on the floor. “No, bud, you can’t have apple blood. You’re a cat.” 

King flicked his tail at her and walked over to the fridge, pawing at it. He meowed loudly before going back to Eda and pawing at her leg. She rolled her eyes with a small smile and went to the fridge. “Alright, fine, I’ll make you eggs. What kind do you want?” She asked the cat. King meowed again, this time slightly different. Eda sighed, setting the eggs down on the counter and grabbing a bowl from the cupboard. “Scrambled eggs it is, then.”

\--

She was just putting King’s eggs in his bowl when she heard a creak from the stairs. She looked up to see a fully dressed Luz, looking slightly confused. Luz looked her in the eye.

“Eda, why was there an owl on me this morning?” she asked slowly.

Eda gave a small chuckle. “Oh, I forgot to tell you about Owlbert!” 

_Now, where is that little guy?_ She whistled, and her small brown owl came swooping in from upstairs to land on top of her head. She smiled earnestly at Luz. 

“Luz, meet Owlbert. Owlbert, Luz.” She said, reaching up giving Owlbert a scratch on the head. Luz smiled back but still looked a bit confused. 

“Um, nice to meet you Owlbert. Eda, that still doesn’t explain why you have an owl in your house.” Luz said, finishing her descent down the stairs to stand at the bottom.

“I got him from, uh,” Eda hesitated, taking the time to pluck Owlbert off of her head to put him on a nearby perch while she thought of an answer. _Should I tell her? No, she would probably tell someone. She can’t know._ “I got him from the local sanctuary! He, uh, was raised in a house, and, uh, wouldn’t do well in the sanctuary! So I, uh, _offered_ to take him in!” She finished by grinning at Luz. _Nailed it._ Luz raised a quizzical eyebrow, seeming to take the answer. Eda watched Luz’s gaze fall on the scrambled eggs in the cat bowl and back to Eda, who tried not to seem very concerned about it. 

“So,” Luz started, “King’s a picky eater, huh?”

Eda breathed an internal sigh of relief, happy to be off of the subject of Owlbert. _That was close._ “I guess you could say that,” She said hesitantly. “I always make him something special on Saturday mornings since we open late.”

“Oh, ok,” Luz said, sitting down in a chair across the table from Eda, letting the silence settle between them. She looked around and spoke again, a smile on her face. “What’s for breakfast?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me forgetting that Luz doesn’t wear glasses at the beginning… I was about to give her fuzzy vision for no reason…
> 
> I have a tumblr now??? Anyways i practically live there now so go check it out: https://questlampeee.tumblr.com/ I don’t really post on twitter anymore so please direct any questions or comments to my tumblr! Thanks!
> 
> I made a playlist for this fic! It includes songs I’ve already featured and songs that I’m either planning on featuring or just fit the vibe! Here’s the link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ulvKKk65W4nvqjVoQ366Y

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry! Our favorite protagonist's buddies are coming! I decided a bit ago that Camila is gonna show up more in this story than the actual show, and I also tried to describe things as well as I could!
> 
> Hey! My name is Quest and I’ve been reading fics here on AO3 for a few months, and I finally got my invitation to create an account and I’m really excited to start creating things and sharing them with you all! I post updates on my writing account on Twitter (@quest_writing)! Constructive criticism is appreciated!


End file.
